Born in Senegal in 1954, El Hadji Sy (El Sy) studied fine arts at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Dakar. A widely exhibited artist, and a curator, he works on projects on contemporary Senegalese art both in Africa and Europe; these include co-editing, with Friedrich  Axt, an Anthology of Senegalese Contemporary Art, and compiling a collection of works for the then Museum für Völkerkunde, Frankfurt am Main, in 1989. In Dakar he was President of the Association of Visual Arts of Senegal (ANAPS) for several years, and has organized a number of exhibitions and initiatives, including the Village des Arts and the Laboratoire Agit-Art. In Septemper 1994 he hosted Tenq/Articulations, the first workshop of the Triangle Network to be held in Senegal.

During his residency in the Weltkulturen Museum, he prepared the forthcoming exhibition "El Hadji Sy - Painting, Performance, Politics". More information here.